HEMSTREET WINS SOLE SILVER AT MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Les Gets, France (August 29, 2022) – British Columbia’s Gracey Hemstreet would be the sole Canadian to win a medal at the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Les Gets, France. The Junior rider took home silver in the women’s Downhill race just shy of a gold by 1.870 seconds. This would be the eighteen-year-old’s second World Championship medal after taking the bronze at the 2021 Championship.
On the men’s side, Downhill Junior rider, Bodhi Kuhn, stepped up to the plate finishing fifth in the Junior category, while Jackson Goldstone was looking for his second World Championship rainbow jersey after claiming gold in 2021, but would finish in 14th spot after a crash on his final run. Elite rider, Finn Iles, who came off an at home victory at the World Cup in Mont-Sainte-Ann, was seeded sixth going into the finals but would evidently be pulled due to injury.
“It was a huge week for Canada in Downhill Mountain Bike,” said National Team Coach, Chad Hendren. “Leading the Canadians was Gracey Hemstreet with a well served second place finish which is a solid step up from the bronze she won last year and we’re very proud of her. Her two World Championship podiums in a row will carry good momentum as she steps into the Elite category next year. All-in-all it was a successful week, and now we move to Val di Sole for the final World Cup race of 2022.”
Meanwhile, Mountain Bike racers opened up day one with the Team Relay event to finish in the top ten, with Emilly Johnston, Carter Woods, Peter Disera, Ian Ackert, Isabella Holmgren and Laurie Areseneault racing into seventh which would be Canada’s best finish overall.
Following the Team Relay, Junior riders would take on the Cross-Country Olympic (XCO) event with Isabella Holmgren being Canada’s top performer in the category to take tenth spot. Her finish comes on the heels of her double medal performance at Canada Summer Games and performance camps in Switzerland, showcasing her talent on the world stage. Meanwhile, Zorak Paille would finish in eleventh spot on the men’s side.
Elites took on Short Track (XCC) on day three with Laurie Arseneault taking fourteenth spot, after coming off her National Championship win just one month prior in the event, and Sean Fincham in seventeenth spot on the men’s side and would later finish 30th in XCO.
All eyes were then on U23 rider, Carter Woods, in XCO after a stellar season on the World Cup circuit. He would ultimately finish in 16th spot. Coming off her National Championship win, Emily Batty, would be the top Elite woman in XCO cracking the top 20 to finish in 19th.
“Overall Worlds was successful for Canada,” said National Team Coach Jeff Ain. “We have a very bright future based on the performances we had across all categories. I’m proud of the athletes who all performed their best on the day at the end of a long season. We improved our team relay result from 2021 and have athletes in every category who are tracking towards being ready to push for podium performances. A big thank you to all the staff and partners who worked tirelessly to make this project run smoothly and efficiently.”
Full results from all racing can be found here.
